The Aircraft

The aircraft is GAF Nomad N.22B, 13-passenger civil version of the GAF Nomad. It it registered to Sabah Air, with registration number 9M-ATZ.

The aircraft was not fitted with a black box to to record flight events. Therefore, there is no Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) or Flight Data Recorder (FDR) recovered from the crash.

The aircraft carried heavy cargo from Labuan such as golf equipments as well as colored television sets.

The Crash

The aircraft is supposed to be operated by two pilots. Johari Stephens, a trainee pilot at that time, asked to be seated at the co-pilot. His request is granted.

The aircraft was supposed to land at Kota Kinabalu at 3:30 PM and the weather at the airport was fine at that time. The aircraft circled and approached the airport from the north. At 3:40 PM, the aircraft was about 600 feet from sea level, flying at 86 knots and approaching the runway from the north. Locals said the plane seemed to stall, with one wing dipped down and the plane spiralled down. The aircrat completed one and half turn before it hit the shallow water in Kampung Sembulan. There was some indication that the pilot tried to recover but he had no chance.

Reports later revealed that the aircraft was supposed to approach the airport runway from the south. Unfortunately, it was asked to go past the airport to give way to a MAS aircraft and land from the north instead. There were claims that conflicting instructions happened at ground control. The reports were later denied.

The crash site as about 50 feet from the nearest houses in Kampung Sembulan, which is about five minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu. Fortunately, it did not hit anyone in the village. Otherwise, the casualty rate would have been greater.

The time of impact is 3:41:27 PM, which was what recorded by a clock that stopped at the moment of impact.

Immediate reaction

Firemen were the first to arrive at the scene. Policemen arrived later and sealed of the area. The aircraft was in total wreck and axes need to be used to open the aircraft. 11 bodies were removed from the aircraft. Among the items recovered include 2 revolvers, 5 watches and cash worth RM 6,000.00.

Aftermath

Investigation by GAF

The aircraft manufacturer, Australia-based Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) has decided to launch an investigation in order to prove that the crash was not caused by mechanical defect.

Double Six Monument

Not long after the accident, a memorial was constructed in Sembulan area near Grace Garden housing complex in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. It is named as Tugu Peringatan Double Six (Double Six), marking a significant tragedy in Sabah history. The monument is erected on the exact spot of the crash.

Double Six Monument 2017-03-25 16.38.44

Decades after

As of 2015, Malaysian government has yet to release full report of the accident, even after 39 years it happened.